CHAPTER 1538: CHAPTER 1539: THE USUAL THREE

Arriving at the unit building where Li Qiyi lives, you find that the door downstairs is still closed. Without a magnetic card or knowing the password, you can only stand below and wait, hoping to see if other residents might pass by.

Not even a minute later, your phone rings: "Good son, are you downstairs at your sister’s unit building?"

"Yeah, Mom, your timing is too precise!" You marvel at your mother’s knack for mental arithmetic.

"Hmmph, your mother is a Math Olympiad mentor!" she says with great pride, "The passcode for the door is 174589."

"Got it."

After learning the passcode, you enter it on the keypad next to the card reader, and indeed, you hear a "beep," followed by a mechanical female voice saying: "Please enter."

Just as you open the door and hesitate about whether to close it, a crowd of people suddenly appears outside, both men and women. Realizing something’s not right, you quickly shut the door.

"Hey, kid, open the door!"

A young man at the front demands arrogantly.

You suddenly realize this fool looks familiar, but you can’t recall where you’ve seen him. So, you yawn, pretending not to see anything, and turn away to enter further inside.

"You brat, don’t let me catch you again!"

Whistling, you open the elevator and ride it up to the twelfth floor. Stepping out of the elevator, you hear a chorus of voices coming from the corridor window: "Little Yun, I love you—"

Out of curiosity, you walk to the window and discover a group of fools on the lawn beside the building has arranged candles in the shape of a heart and lit them. Although it’s not yet completely dark, the atmosphere is very intense. Around twenty fools surround the candles in a heart shape, shouting in unison toward the unit building Li Qiyi is renting.

You chuckle and shake your head as you walk to the door of apartment 1202, where Li Qiyi resides, and press the doorbell.

A few seconds later, there’s no response.

You press it again, still no response.

Just as you’re about to turn around and call your mom, the door suddenly opens, but instead of a warm embrace from your sister, a broom comes flying towards you!

"Bang!"

"Get out! Get out!"

Li Qiyi vigorously swings the broom until you grab it with your hand, and then she looks at you, all frustrated.

"Oops!"

Realizing she’s hit the wrong person, Li Qiyi quickly approaches, the warmth of an older sister quickly enveloping you. She gently pats your head and asks affectionately: "Little Yun, are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

"Sis, just give me a kiss and it won’t hurt."

You habitually say.

"You little ghost head, always taking advantage of your sis!" Li Qiyi rolls her eyes at you playfully.

"Hehe, can’t let the fat water flow to outsiders."

You shamelessly follow Li Qiyi into the house.

Once inside, you’re immediately greeted by the fragrance of gardenias, the scent perfectly balanced, evoking a sense of relaxation, joy, and natural comfort.

"Want something to drink?" Li Qiyi leads you to the living room and asks.

"The usual would be good."

"Okay." Li Qiyi responds, but quickly adds, "How did you know I had the usual here?"

At home, Li Qiyi dresses very simply, a typical at-home older sister style. On top, she wears a slightly loose T-shirt that perfectly showcases her exquisite figure, while on the bottom, she’s wearing simple shorts that reveal her long legs, making you squint at the sight, indeed a feast for the eyes!

Seeing you staring at her well-proportioned legs, Li Qiyi comes over and playfully taps your forehead with her slender finger, chiding: "You brat, what are you looking at?"

The same "you brat" sounds different coming from two people, the latter filled with deep affection, utmost warmth, and care.

"Hehe, because sis, you’re getting more and more beautiful. Wow, those long white legs, just seeing them makes you drool." You deliberately put on a pig brother appearance.

"No decency!" Li Qiyi playfully rolls her eyes at you and then turns to fetch something from the fridge, "You still haven’t answered my question from earlier. How did you know I have the usual here, did Mom tell you?"

The usual is a specialty drink of the Li family, said to be invented by your great-grandmother.

The usual is actually a mixture of three fruit juices diluted with water, with a very precise formula, and currently, only your mom and Li Qiyi know how to make it. Li Qiyi learned how to make it when she was sixteen, and her skill surpassed her teacher; your mother used to joke that with her skill at making the usual, she’d definitely be a good wife in the future.

At the time, Li Qiyi’s response was: "The usual I make is only for my brother."

The types of fruits in the usual can change with the season, maintaining a fresh taste at all times and can vary with the mood of the person making it.

Since your sudden disappearance six years ago, Li Qiyi has been preparing a two-liter bottle of the usual every week by hand.

Hearing Li Qiyi’s question, you slowly begin to speak: "It’s not Mom who told me, it’s because I remember you said, whenever I ask, you would immediately prepare the usual for me."

This might sound strange to others, but in the Li family, it holds a special meaning. If your mom were here, she’d probably kick you.

According to the tradition set by your great-grandmother, the usual is only to be made for husbands and children.

You and Li Qiyi are, of course, the closest of relatives, just slightly deviating from the tradition your great-grandmother set. When you were young, your mom didn’t mind, after all, you and Li Qiyi had always been very close; up until Li Qiyi was 16, you two even shared a bed.

Later, your mom felt it wasn’t appropriate, so she had a carpenter custom-make the bunk bed you currently have in your room.

Hearing what you said, Li Qiyi paused slightly but quickly returned to normal. Smiling, she fetched a two-liter glass bottle from the fridge, filled with a pale yellow liquid.

Li Qiyi poured you a big glass, and before you drank it, she habitually asked: "Come on, guess which three they are."

"Just by the color, it’s obvious, lemon, banana, and mango." Saying so, you picked up the glass and took a big gulp, then clicked your tongue, sighing, "In heaven or on earth, only the usual made by my sis is the best. I could drink it for a lifetime and never get tired of it."

"As long as you like it, sis will always make it for you."

"It’s a deal then!"

"Mm!"

The two of you stand about a meter apart, eyes meeting, and it’s as if time freezes in that moment.